1. In 1857, the first State Agricultural College opened in Manhattan, Kansas. It was later named Kansas State University and is still a prominent institution in the state today.

2. On February 16, 1866, the town of Ellsworth was established in central Kansas. It quickly became a significant stop on the cattle trail and was known as the "Wickedest Little City in the West" due to its reputation for violence and lawlessness.

3. In 1905, the Kansas State Capitol building was completed in Topeka. The building's impressive dome is the second-tallest in the United States, topped only by the dome of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

4. On February 16, 1912, the city of Wathena in northeastern Kansas experienced a rare meteorological phenomenon known as a "sun dog." This occurs when ice crystals in the air refract sunlight, creating a bright spot on either side of the sun.

5. In 1937, the notorious outlaw Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd was killed in a shootout with FBI agents in East Liverpool, Ohio. Though Floyd was not from Kansas and did not commit any well-known crimes in the state, his infamy made headlines across the country and remains a part of Kansas history.